Welcome To Shadowpath

The Beauty of Boundaries (a lesson on saying no)

with Grace Delamere

A pay-what-you-can virtual workshop

What if saying no was the most creative thing you could do?

Learn how boundaries don't limit your art - they sustain it.

CONTENT WARNING:

We may discuss some heavy topics, including burnout, boundaries, and “yes” culture. Please take care of yourself and prioritize your well-being. If you need to step away from the workshop, turn off your camera, or just witness an activity rather than participating, please do.

In creative and performing arts spaces, there's an unspoken pressure to always say yes to every opportunity, every request, every late-night rehearsal. But what happens when saying yes to everything means saying no to yourself?

In this session, we'll explore why boundaries ARE the foundation of creativity. From managing physical limits like fatigue and injury, to navigating the blurry lines of creative professional relationships, we'll unpack what it actually means to protect your time, energy and artistry.

We'll look at the different types of boundaries, how to communicate them with confidence and care, and why a well-placed "no" makes everything else you do more sustainable.

Whether you're burnt out, overcommitted, or just tired of feeling guilty for resting, this session is for you. You'll leave with practical tools to define your own boundaries, language to communicate them gracefully, and a fresh perspective on saying no, as an act of creativity in itself.

Link to Register Coming Soon

Acts of Kindness Workshop

with Maissa Bessada

Acts of Kindness cards invite small, intentional actions that support mental health and boost oxytocin levels by fostering connection, empathy and a sense of purpose, for the giver and the receiver. Even brief, everyday interactions, like a kind word or short exchange, can lift one's mood and reduce feelings of isolation.

For artists, who often work in isolation, these gestures create meaningful moments of connection that can ease self-doubt, interrupt burnout, and remind us we’re part of a larger creative community.

In this workshop, you’ll engage with kindness cards, as well as create your own acts of kindness to contribute, expanding a shared deck based in collective care in the spirit of International Friendship Day!

Then, we'll put kindness into motion. Participants will select cards and head out into the community to carry out small, intentional acts in real time. Along the way, they’ll document the experience through photos or simple note-taking. This activation transforms the cards from ideas into lived experiences, extending care beyond the room and into everyday spaces.

“Acts of kindness” refer to benevolent and helpful actions intentionally directed towards another person, motivated by the desire to help another and not to gain reward or to avoid punishment. Participating in acts of kindness helped individuals with depression or anxiety to divert their attention from themselves and take their minds off their own symptoms. (www.psychiatry.org/news-room/apa-blogs/mental-health-benefits-simple-acts-of-kindness)

Date: Saturday August 1st, 1pm

Meeting Point - In Aurora, Ontario TBA

Pay-What-You-Can Link Coming Soon

Bio

The Plummet Summit, an unconference for York Region arts and culture workers, launched on September 6th, 2025 at the Varley Art Gallery, and with it our inaugural York Region Cultural Audit.

The scores are in as of March 2026.

Some insights might surprise you… or maybe they won’t!

Round 3 scores coming September 2026.

Wanna read the full report?

Details coming SOON!